After the end of the Second World War the two war time allies THE USA and SU became involved in a war of ideologies the cold war. The US saw communism as a threat to democracy and capitalism. Therefore the US set out a new foreign policy that was of containment of communism in the Truman doctrine. There were however other reasons for the USA’s involvement such as their military confidence, UN agreement, domestic pressure which called for the T admin to be more tough on communism and their economic interest in Japan which led to the US governments decision to use military intervention in the K war. The main reason for the USA’s military intervention in the Korean war was that of containment.
Many people ask the question, “Why did the U.S. even care about the Vietnam conflict, let alone fight a war there?” One Reason for U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict was that the U.S. feared the Domino Theory. The Domino Theory is where if one state falls to communism, then all the other states around it will fall into communism too. Because the U.S. feared this, they responded with containment. Containment means to keep communism from spreading to other countries. Another reason for U.S. involvement is imperialism, which was left over from WWI and WWII.
It also provided the guiding principles that United States leaders south as guidance for their actions toward the soviet containment. George Kennan’s telegram planted the seed for idea established the Soviet Union as a communist threat to world democracy. Kennan saw the Soviet Union as an internally insecure and paranoid country that viewed the outside world as a hostile threat. As a result the soviet ruled themselves ruthlessly and autocratically did no compromise or negotiate unless it served their interest. Because of this believe the United States had to deal with soviets firmly and resist their attempts to spread communist influence globally.
Beginning in the 1950s, maintaining a non-Communist South Vietnam became crucial in American efforts to contain communism. What was the nation's justification for its actions in South Vietnam in the 1950s and its determination to abide by the outcome of free elections there only if those elections yielded a non-Communist leader? For a long time the United States were in fear of the threat of communism stemming from a direct attack and the aspect of the Cold War, played a vital role in the fears. In the beginning the Vietnam War was first thought to be just another Cold War between northern and southern Vietnam. While the United States was nervous of Communism consuming the entire globe.
However, the breakdown in relations between the emerging superpowers during the war and the consequences of the disbandment of the Grand Alliance can be interpreted as the start of the Cold War. Tensions during wartime conferences paved the way for post-war conflict and it can be argued that as soon as the common enemy of Hitler was destroyed, the disparity in post-war aims of the superpowers led to the Cold War. The conferences of ‘the Big Thee’ at Yalta and Potsdam produced areas of tension surrounding plans for Germany and Poland, highlighting the USA fear of USSR’s expansion. Therefore Stalin’s policies for these countries can be construed as an attempt to form an ‘Eastern Bloc’, knowing this to be in complete contradiction with Western ideals for a world without spheres of influence. However, there is not much evidence to suggest the USSR’s was pursuing expansionist aims at this point, and in fact was simply securing its borders.
World History since the End of WWII 1. What were the major events that led to the breakdown of the Grand Alliance (created during the WWII)? Three nations had underlying attitudes towards one another. The U.S opposed the Russian communism and British imperialism whereas Britain wasn’t consent with the U.S economic dominance. Russia opposed the others’ capitalism.
The country then feared the spread of communism which lead into more global involvement. In the Truman Doctrine proposed by president Harry Truman he states “I believe that it must be a policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”(Reading 151). What he means by this is that the future of the United States relies on helping other countries and keeping them safe from the threats of communism/totalitarianism. The US even got involved in the Korean war that was being fought within Korea due to the fear that communism may spread. This goes to show how US is no longer under isolationism but rather being the leader of the world trying to protect
Year 10 Humanities The Cold War - ‘How can differing ideologies lead to conflict?” ‘With reference to 3 flashpoints, discuss the implementation and effectiveness of the US policy of containment.’ During the period between 1950 and 1991 the United States led by George Kennan opposed the communist ideology, organization and government, and as a result brought in the containment policy also known as the Truman Doctrine. The point of the Containment Policy was for the United States during the Cold War to keep Communism from spreading. America, fatigued from war did not want to send troops into Europe to help fend off communism which would be impossible. Instead the US decided to prevent the takeover of communism and contained it’s ideology
At the time, the United States was in the midst of its own conflict with Russia, which was called the Cold War. After World War II and The Korean Conflict, the last thing U.S. citizens wanted was for the government to send troops into Vietnam. In 1961, Russia began aiding North Vietnam with supplies and finances. The revolution in Vietnam was imminent, and the American government believed it had no other choice but to help South Vietnam fight for its freedom. In 1961, after Kennedy was elected he recognized the problem.
The desire of both the United States and USSR for primary influence in the region and the effects of the Chinese Civil War and Korean War must also be explored in order to fully explain the origins of the Cold War in Asia. It is important to note that the United States and the Soviet Union had interests in Asia dating back to before the Second World War. The US held important strategic territories in Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines whilst the USSR had connections with the Communists in China. These commitments were strengthened throughout the war with Japan in Asia. In the aftermath of the conflict the US wanted to be the sole occupier of Japan, and Stalin wanted to increase the USSR’s stakes in Korea and Manchuria.